Bees in the cold Guest post written by Dean Haley Stingless bees are widely regarded as being unable to control nest temperature like honey bees do. For the vast majority of stingless bees this is very true. Some species however, such as our T.carbonaria and A.australis extend into temperate areas with colder Winters and frosts.…
Interview with Kevin Stiller Today I met with Kevin Stiller! Kevin is a man who I can tell has a lot of native bee knowledge. He has kept honey bees for 48 years and only recently given it away. His interest with native bees however remains strong and it shows. Kevin is retired…
Interview and lessons from Allan Beil Recently Dean and I went to visit Allan Beil. We spent a couple of days learning from this very kind, helpful man. Allan is a conservationist and has helped many scientists find the information they need about native bees. If you have read a scientific article…
Native Bee Resins Other Native bee Resins (Substitutes) A conversation with John Klumpp reminded me of all the odd things I have heard native bees collect. Here is a small list of odd things: Types of bitumen based products used in waterproofing and automotive Different types of grease Paints Blue-tac Silicone-based products Resins…
Native bees robbing mother hive Recently my friend Dean was out and about and discovered a Native bee hive that was starting a new colony. There is a bit of information out there that suggests when native bees are setting up a new hive, they send out the workers,…
Tetragonula Carbonaria Tetragonula Carbonaria are a small hardworking bee that is found along the east coast of Australia predominantly between Sydney and Rockhamton. Some colonies are reported as far south as Bega and as far north of Cooktown. They are slightly smaller than that of Tetragonula hockingsi and are a little more docile.…
Native bee hive design I thought I would do a little post on native bee hive design. There are so many designs of boxes out there and new ones being created all the time. I myself have made at least 4 different native bee hive designs. I wanted to make a design I was happy…